Systems and methods for channel additions over multiple cascaded optical nodes

ABSTRACT

A method, an optical node, and an optical network include a power controller configured to bring channels in-service in parallel over multiple cascaded optical nodes quickly, efficiently, and in a non-service affecting manner. The method, node, and network utilize multiple states of a control loop that maintains a stable response in downstream optical nodes as channels are added in parallel. Further, the power controller is configured to operate independently alleviating dependencies on other power controllers and removing the need for coordination between power controllers. The method, node, and network provide efficient turn up of dense wave division multiplexing (DWDM) services which is critical to optical layer functionality including optical layer restoration.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

The present patent/application is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 13/655,567, filed Oct. 19, 2012, and entitled“SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR CHANNEL ADDITIONS OVER MULTIPLE CASCADEDOPTICAL NODES,” the contents of which are incorporated by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

Generally, the field of art of the present disclosure pertains tooptical networking systems and methods, and more particularly, tosystems and methods for parallel channel additions over multiplecascaded optical nodes.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

As optical networks have evolved, network deployments have moved frompoint-to-point configurations to interconnected mesh architectures withvarious reconfigurable components contained therein. The interconnectedmesh architectures can be formed with various reconfigurable opticaladd/drop multiplexers (ROADMs) or other types of optical nodes. In anexemplary implementation, a ROADM can include a wavelength selectiveswitch (WSS) and the process of adding a channel to each ROADM caninclude opening an associated pixel on the WSS. Of course, otherimplementations can be used for ROADMs. As optical node flexibilityincreases and the interconnected mesh architectures expand, channeladdition becomes problematic especially over optical networks withmultiple cascaded optical nodes. These challenges are further increasedas different channels can have different A-Z paths through the networkwith various channels traversing different paths and multiple cascadedoptical nodes. Thus, optical node and network flexibility leads tointerconnection complexity.

First, to turn up a wavelength, conventional systems and methods canutilize a procedure by opening pixels in the WSS in multiple cascadedROADM sections simultaneously or in quick sequence. However opening uppixels (or any other type of enabling scheme) without any sort ofcontrol may create significant overshoot on the wavelength beinglaunched into the fiber, and further may insert non-linear interferenceto neighboring in-service wavelengths. Adding a large number ofwavelengths on top of low-count in-service ones can also createsignificant DC power offset on the in-service wavelengths that could betraffic impacting as well.

Alternatively, conventional systems and methods can include turning upwavelengths in sequence over multiple optical nodes while settingactuator values dynamically in each optical node site in non-serviceaffecting way following the completion of add action in upstream opticalnodes. This is a sequential approach versus the aforementioned parallelapproach. Few constraints have to be respected in that regard: (1) acontroller in each optical node has to run in a close-loop fashiongetting an updated optical power reading from an associated opticalpower monitor (OPM), (2) the delay between consecutive close loopcontroller iterations are limited by the associated OPM's scanning timeto report the wavelength power and the actuator's attenuation settlingtime, and (3) while setting attenuation in each actuator, it has tomaintain the target launch power into the fiber, or need to achieve thepower of the already in-service wavelengths of similar transmitter typeinto the fiber. Such controlled sequential method ensures proper powersettings for each section, and mitigates any impact to currentlydeployed channels. Plant related drifts and aging effects (e.g.Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) based WSS pixel drifts, and pixeloffsets due to aging) adds another dimension into this problem due towhich the pixel or the actuators cannot be open at the targetattenuation in a single step. The actuator needs to be opened at a lowerattenuation setting than the target actuator settings. Otherwise anovershoot can appear while adding the new channel to the fiber that maycause non-linear interference to the neighboring wavelengths.

Hence in order to respect and overcome all these constraints,conventional systems and methods take few iterations of each WSS toachieve the power target before the wavelength shows up in-service.However due to sequential operation and timing allocation for each WSSin an optical node site, the overall service turn up time for awavelength over multiple cascaded optical nodes becomes very muchsignificant especially in the case layer 0 (optical layer) restorationschemes. In view of the foregoing, it is desirable to have systems andmethods for faster channel additions over multiple cascaded opticalnodes utilizing a parallel technique while addressing the aforementionedconstraints.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In an exemplary embodiment, a method implemented by a power controllerassociated with a node in an optical network with one or more sectionsincludes, responsive to adding a channel at the node, performing a powercontrol loop at the node based on power measurements determined at thenode, wherein the performing is independent of any other power controlloops performed for the channel at one or more additional nodes; andadjusting power of the channel at the node based on the power controlloop. The power control loop can be performed without coordinationcomprising sending messaging between the node and the one or moreadditional nodes. At least one node of the one or more additional nodescan perform a second power control loop on the channel at the at leastone node while the power control loop is performed and there is nocoordination between the power control loop and the second power controlloop. The power measurements can be per channel power measurementsdetermined at the node. The power control loop can operate based solelyon the power measurements determined at the node. The power control loopcan be performed in parallel with associated power control loops at theone or more additional nodes as the channel is added to each of the nodeand the one or more additional nodes. The power control loop can utilizea three state proportional-integral-derivative (PID) control loop with adamped response where a PID response is proportionate to an error termbetween the power measurements and a set target power to achieve. Toavoid any oscillations, a derivative coefficient of the PID response canbe set to zero if an overshoot is detected in a previous iteration ofthe power control loop. The power control loop can run in a close loopreceiving constant feedback for the power measurements and performingmultiple iterations to ultimately achieve the required target power.

In another exemplary embodiment, a power controller associated with anode in an optical network with one or more sections includes circuitryadapted to, responsive to adding a channel at the node, perform a powercontrol loop at the node based on power measurements determined at thenode, wherein the power control loop is performed independent of anyother power control loops performed for the channel at one or moreadditional nodes; and circuitry adapted to cause adjustment of power ofthe channel at the node based on the power control loop. The powercontrol loop can be performed without coordination through messagingbetween the node and the one or more additional nodes. At least one nodeof the one or more additional nodes can perform a second power controlloop on the channel at the at least one node while the power controlloop is performed and there is no coordination between the power controlloop and the second power control loop. The power measurements can beper channel power measurements determined at the node. The power controlloop can operate based solely on the power measurements determined atthe node. The power control loop can be performed in parallel withassociated power control loops at the one or more additional nodes asthe channel is added to each of the node and the one or more additionalnodes. The power control loop can utilize a three stateproportional-integral-derivative (PID) control loop with a dampedresponse where a PID response is proportionate to an error term betweenthe power measurements and a set target power to achieve. To avoid anyoscillations, a derivative coefficient of the PID response can be set tozero if an overshoot is detected in a previous iteration of the powercontrol loop. The power control loop can run in a close loop receivingconstant feedback for the power measurements and performing multipleiterations to ultimately achieve the required target power.

In a further exemplary embodiment, an optical node includes one or moredegrees comprising components configured to selectively alter power of achannel being added to the one or more degrees; an optical power monitoradapted to measure an output power of the channel; and a powercontroller communicatively coupled to the at least one degree and theoptical power monitor, wherein the power controller is configured to,responsive to adding a channel at the node, perform a power control loopat the node based on power measurements determined by the optical powermonitor, wherein the power control loop is performed independent of anyother power control loops performed for the channel at one or moreadditional nodes, and cause adjustment of power of the channel by thecomponents based on the power control loop. The power control loop canbe performed without coordination through messaging between the opticalnode and the one or more additional nodes.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING(S)

Exemplary and non-limiting embodiments of the present disclosure areillustrated and described herein with reference to various drawings, inwhich like reference numbers denote like method steps and/or systemcomponents, respectively, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a network diagram of a single ROADM section between two ROADMnodes;

FIG. 2 is a network diagram of a network of four linearly cascaded ROADMsections;

FIG. 3 is a graph showing an example of overshoot in conventionalsystems and methods;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a power controller system for adding achannel in parallel over multiple cascaded ROADM sections;

FIG. 5 is a graph of a time variant response of cascaded powercontrollers while adding a channel in parallel using the proposedalgorithm of the power controller system of FIG. 4;

FIGS. 6A-6E are a flowchart of a power controller method of a completeWSS iteration cycle running on a power controller;

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of an exemplary implementation of a powercontroller; and

FIGS. 8A-8B are graphs of exemplary implementation of the powercontroller method compared with a sequential controller method.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In various exemplary embodiments, systems and methods are described forfaster channel additions over multiple cascaded optical nodes. Thesystems and methods are applicable for turning up services infiber-optic networks, i.e. channel additions, and for rerouting ofchannels. Variously, the systems and methods include a power controllerfor an optical node that enables channel additions in parallel overmultiple cascaded domains with a significant reduction in overallend-to-end turn up time while preventing overshooting, managingnon-linear optic characteristics, and generally maintaining a stableresponse until convergence to a target. The power controller canimplement an algorithm that develops a nodal per channel power that usesa same set of coefficients for each optical node in a system without thenecessity of knowing overall system topology or channel traversingpaths. Allowing wavelengths to turn up in parallel over multiplecascaded nodes significantly reduces overall service turn up time whilehaving the power controller independent of channel topology isadvantageous in a meshed network architecture. The developed powercontroller allows each downstream node to adapt itself with upstreampower changes, and generate a damped unit step response accordinglywhile still converging to a target that ultimately providespseudo-parallel convergence to the target from end-to-end. The powercontroller also helps each optical node to educate itself for any plantrelated drifts and aging effects (e.g. MEMs based WSS pixel drifts, andpixel offsets due to aging) and taking advantage of that ahead of timeaccordingly.

As dense wave division multiplexing (DWDM) systems evolve, timing forturning up services is becoming critical especially in the phase oflayer 0 restoration schemes. As described herein, the challenge in thiscase comes along while trying to restore many wavelengths in a path thatcontains a few number of wavelengths in-service, and the non-linearcharacteristics of fiber-optics forces to slow down that restoration inorder to maintain the traffic and optical signal-to-noise ratio (OSNR)integrity of the in-service wavelengths. In a meshed optical system(i.e., DWDM system) the challenge remains to develop a nodal or peroptical channel controller that allows the new service turn-up in anon-service affecting way without having any knowledge of the overalltopology of the system or the channel traversing paths. The systems andmethods described herein provide the nodal per channel controller thatallows turning up wavelengths in cascaded subsystems in a faster andcontrolled way by adding them in parallel while each controller isutilizing the same set of coefficients and is maintaining OSNR integrityof all the in-service wavelengths. In various descriptions herein,reference is made to a channel which can include, without limitation, awavelength, a wavelength range, a band of wavelengths, etc.

Advantageously, the systems and methods allow bringing wavelengthsin-service in parallel over multiple cascaded optical nodes in anon-service affecting way to other already present in-servicewavelengths. The power controller can include a three statesproportional-integral-derivative (PID) response (or multi-states inanother type of control loop) that avoids any overshoots while addingwavelengths in parallel over multiple cascaded sections. The powercontroller and associated algorithm adapts for input power variationsfor a specific wavelength (or channel) while bringing the wavelengthin-service that, in turn, allows multiple cascaded downstreamcontrollers to adjust themselves while the upstream controllers arestill converging to the target. The algorithm educates itself about WSSpixel drift or any other aging effects over iterations and adapts itsresponse accordingly. The algorithm allows running each power controlleron its own independently alleviating any dependency with any upstream ordownstream nodes for faster iteration cycles. Since the powercontrollers run independently, extra messaging between optical nodes isalleviated, i.e., each power controller operates based on its ownmeasurements alleviating dependencies on other power controllers andremoving the need for coordination between power controllers. Thealgorithm allows wavelengths to be turned up in parallel over multipleoptical nodes that reduce the service turn up time significantlycompared to conventional sequential channel add techniques. With theproposed systems and methods, the turn up time does not go up linearlywith the number cascaded optical nodes which will be a significantfactor for layer 0 system restoration.

In an exemplary embodiment, a method includes introducing a channelthrough a first node and a second node, wherein the channel isintroduced simultaneously over the first node and the second node;measuring power of the channel entering the first node and the channelentering the second node; determining a first measured error of thechannel based on a target power and the measured power at the first nodeand a second measured error of the channel based on a target power andthe measured power at the second node; performing a control loop usingthe first measured error at the first node and using the second measurederror at the second node, wherein the first node and the second nodeperform the control loop simultaneously and independently of oneanother, and wherein each of the first node and the second node performthe control loop based only on their own measurements; modifyingparameters of the control loop at each of the first node and the secondnode with a plurality of states to maintain a stable response; andadjusting power of the channel based on the modified control loop ateach of the first node and the second node.

The method can further include modifying the control loop at each of thefirst node and the second node to set a derivative coefficient to zeroif an overshoot is detected in a previous iteration of the control loop.The method can further include modifying the control loop at each of thefirst node and the second node to select coefficients in such a way thata response remains always damped until complete convergence. The methodcan further include performing the control loop initially at each of thefirst node and the second node with coefficients selected for a dampedunit step response; modifying the control loop at the first node with afirst damping factor once absolute magnitude of the first measured erroris below a first threshold when the first node is not an ingress nodefor the channel; modifying the control loop at the second node with thefirst damping factor once absolute magnitude of the second measurederror is below the first threshold when the second node is not aningress node for the channel; modifying the control loop at the firstnode with a second damping factor once absolute magnitude of the firstmeasured error is below a second threshold when the first node is not aningress node for the channel; and modifying the control loop at thesecond node with the second damping factor once absolute magnitude ofthe second measured error is below the second threshold when the secondnode is not an ingress node for the channel.

The method can further include setting a proportional coefficient and anintegral coefficient of the coefficients to zero at the first node whenthe first measured error is below the second threshold; and setting theproportional coefficient and the integral coefficient of thecoefficients to zero at the second node when the second measured erroris below the second threshold. The method can further include modifyingthe control loop at the second node with an expected error change offsetto dampen a response due to variable input power from the first node.The method can further include determining a first drive offsetparameter for each iteration of the control loop to compensate for plantdrift and aging effects at the first node; and determining a seconddrive offset parameter for each iteration of the control loop tocompensate for plant drift and aging effects at the second node. Thefirst node and the second node can utilize a same set of parameters anda same set of rules for adjusting the parameters, and wherein the firstnode and the second node do not communicate with one another withrespect to the control loop.

The second node can be downstream from the first node, and wherein thesecond node utilizes the control loop and associated modifications toadjust the power of the channel while the first node is converging toits target power. The channel can include a first channel, and themethod can further include introducing a second channel through thefirst node and the second node, wherein the second channel is introducedin parallel over the first node and the second node; and performing themeasuring, the determining, the performing, the modifying, and theadjusting steps with respect to the second channel independent of thefirst channel with independent parameters. The method can furtherinclude adjusting the power of the channel based on the modified controlloop at each of the first node and the second node with any of awavelength selective switch, a variable optical attenuator, an opticalamplifier, and a dynamic gain equalizer. The channel can include any ofa wavelength, a group of wavelengths, a range of wavelengths, and a bandof wavelengths.

In another exemplary embodiment, an optical node includes at least onedegree comprising components configured to selectively alter power of achannel being added to the at least one degree; an optical power monitormeasuring an output power of the channel out of the at least one degree;and a power controller communicatively coupled to the at least onedegree and the optical power monitor, wherein the power controller isconfigured to: measure power of the channel being added to the at leastone degree, wherein the channel is being added simultaneously over atleast one additional node; determine a measured error of the channelbased on a target power and the measured power; perform a control loopusing the measured error, wherein the at least one additional nodeperforms the control loop simultaneously and independently of theoptical node, and wherein each of the optical node and the at least oneadditional node perform the control loop based only on their ownmeasurements; modify parameters of the control loop with a plurality ofstates to maintain a stable response; and adjust power of the channelbased on the modified control loop using the components to selectivelyalter the power.

The power controller can be further configured to modify the controlloop to set a derivative coefficient to zero if an overshoot is detectedin a previous iteration of the control loop. The power controller can befurther configured to modify the control loop to select coefficients insuch a way that a response remains always damped until completeconvergence The power controller can be further configured to performthe control loop initially with coefficients selected for a damped unitstep response; modify the control loop with a first damping factor onceabsolute magnitude of the measured error is below a first threshold whenthe optical node is not an ingress node for the channel; and modify thecontrol loop with a second damping factor once absolute magnitude of themeasured error is below a second threshold when the optical node is notan ingress node for the channel.

The at least one additional node can perform the control loop inparallel with the optical node utilizing a same set of coefficients; andwherein the power controller is further configured to modify the controlloop at the optical node with an expected error change offset to dampena response due to variable input power from the at least one additionalnode. The power controller can be further configured to determine adrive offset parameter for each iteration of the control loop tocompensate for plant drift and aging effects. The channel can include afirst channel, and wherein the power controller can be furtherconfigured to detect a second channel being added to the at least onedegree; and perform the measure, the determine, the perform, the modify,and the adjust steps with respect to the second channel independent ofthe first channel with independent parameters.

In a further exemplary embodiment, an optical network includes N nodesinterconnected therebetween, wherein each of the N nodes comprises: atleast one degree comprising components configured to selectively modifypower of a channel being added thereto; an optical power monitormeasuring a power of the channel at least one degree; and a powercontroller communicatively coupled to the at least one degree and theoptical power monitor; and a channel being added to M nodes of the Nnodes simultaneously, M≦N; wherein the power controller at each of the Mnodes is configured to measure power of the channel through the at leastone degree; determine a measured error of the channel based on a targetpower and the measured power; simultaneously and independently perform acontrol loop using the measured error, and wherein each of the M nodesperform the control loop based only on their own measurements; modifyparameters of the control loop with a plurality of states to maintain astable response; and adjust power of the channel based on the modifiedcontrol loop using the components to selectively alter the power.

Referring to FIG. 1, in an exemplary embodiment, a network diagramillustrates a single ROADM section 100 between two ROADM nodes 102, 104.The ROADM section 100 is between degrees of the ROADM nodes 102, 104,and as described herein, multiple cascaded ROADMs or optical nodes meanstraversing multiple sections 100. In the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 1,the degree at the ROADM node 102 is formed in part by a WSS 106 and thedegree at the ROADM node 104 is formed in part by a demultiplexer 108.Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize other implementationsare also contemplated by the systems and methods described herein. Forexample, the ROADM node 102 could include a multiplexer and the ROADMnode 104 could include a WSS. Alternatively, both the ROADM nodes 102,104 could include WSSs. Further, other physical implementations are alsocontemplated for the ROADM nodes described herein besides WSSs,multiplexers, and demultiplexers. That is, the ROADM section 100 withthe WSS 106, the demultiplexer 108, and other components is describedherein for illustration purposes as one exemplary type of ROADM section.Furthermore, reference is made herein to ROADMs for illustrationpurposes. Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciated thesystems and methods described herein can apply to any optical spectraladjusting element such as a ROADM, an amplifier site, a dynamic gainequalization site, and the like.

The ROADM node 102 includes transmitters (TX) 110, 112 coupled tochannel multiplexers/demultiplexers (CMD) 114, 116. Note, the ROADM node102 can include any amount of TXs 110, 112. The CMDs 114, 116 areconfigured to multiplex wavelengths from the TXs 110, 112 and provide toa combiner 118 which combines the outputs from the CMDs 114, 116 into asingle input to the WSS 106. In an exemplary embodiment, the CMDs 114,116 can operate in a range of optical spectrum, e.g. the blue and redranges, with the TXs 110, 112 being a wavelength in the associatedranges of optical spectrum. The WSS 106 is generally a device receivingthe input from the combiner 118 or the like with a number of DWDMwavelengths contained therein along with a plurality of switchabledirections in which each of the DWDM wavelengths can be selectivelyswitched thereto. An output of the WSS 106 connects to a post amplifier120 which can be an erbium doped fiber amplifier (EDFA) or the like. Thesection 100 includes optical fiber 122 connecting the nodes 102, 104.

At the ROADM node 104, a pre amplifier 124 receives the output of thepost amplifier 120. The pre amplifier 124 connects to the demultiplexer108 which provides the DWDM wavelengths from the node 104 to a splitter126 which splits the DWDM wavelengths to CMDs 126, 128 which in turnprovide individual wavelengths to receivers (RX) 130, 132. For example,the RX 130 is connected to the TX 110 and the RX 132 is connected to theTX 112 via the various components in the ROADM section 100. Note, thesplitter 126 and the CMDs 126, 128 basically provide the oppositefunctionality as the combiner 118 and the CMDs 114, 116. Additionally,both the ROADM nodes 102, 104 include optical power monitors (OPMs) 140,142 which can tap a small portion of the outputs or inputs to the nodes102, 104 for monitoring thereof. For example, the OPM 140 can connect toa tap off the post amplifier 120 and the OPM 142 can connect to a tapoff the pre amplifier 124. The ROADM node 102 also includes a powercontroller 150 communicatively coupled to the OPM 140 and the WSS 106.The power controller 150 is configured to run in closed-loop getting anupdated optical power reading from the OPM 140 in order to achieve aspecific power target at the output of post amplifier 120 throughadjustments of the WSS 106. Specifically, the power controller 150 isconfigured to implement the various systems and methods describedherein.

In the ROADM section 100, there could be many ways to add a wavelengthin a non-service affecting way to other in-service wavelengths alreadypresent over the optical fiber 122. The simplest possible way is to opena pixel in the WSS 106 with an estimated target attenuation to achievethe same launch power as the other in-service wavelengths. Howeveropening WSS pixels in open loop (since before opening up the pixel,there is no light ending up in the OPM 140, and hence no feedback) maynot be accurate and often ends up with an overshoot or undershoot thenthe desired launch power. Hence a simple control loop by the powercontroller 150 is required to run externally that will monitor theoffset or error from the target by measuring the feedback from the OPM140, and will try to compensate for that accordingly. The powercontroller 150 could be a PI-(proportional-integral) or a simpleI-(integral) controller. Hence adding a wavelength through the singleWSS 106 over the single ROADM section 100 is relatively easier toachieve. Note, the WSS 106 is described herein as an exemplary poweradjusting device with respect to the channel. Those of ordinary skill inthe art will recognize the systems and methods described hereincontemplate other devices for channel power adjustments such as, withoutlimitation, variable optical attenuators, optical amplifiers, dynamicgain equalizers, etc.

Referring to FIG. 2, in an exemplary embodiment, a network diagramillustrates a network 200 of four linearly cascaded ROADM sections100-1, 100-2, 100-3, 100-4. Each of the linearly cascaded sections100-1, 100-2, 100-3, 100-4 can include components described in FIG. 1with respect to the ROADM section 100. In an exemplary embodiment, thenetwork 200 can include a TX 202 which ultimately will connect to a RX204 over the linearly cascaded sections 100-1, 100-2, 100-3, 100-4. Forexample, the TX 202 and the RX 204 can include a 40 Gb/s wavelength inbetween 1530 to 1565 nm. Conventionally, in order to add a wavelength orchannel from the TX 202 over the cascaded sections 100-1, 100-2, 100-3,100-4, a simple idea is to add them in sequence, that is, starting theadd in a downstream WSS section in only when the upstream is completedwith its add operation. For example, the section 100-2 does not beginuntil the section 100-1 is complete. In such case, the same control loopcan be in operation for each WSS in each of the sections 100-1, 100-2,100-3, 100-4, and are able to add the channel as soon as upstream isdone with add. As described herein, this process is too time consumingand the timing to turn up new wavelengths grows up linearly with thenumber of traversed sections 100-1, 100-2, 100-3, 100-4. Each section100-1, 100-2, 100-3, 100-4 also has to be aware of the channel topologyto know about upstream and downstream controllers and the processbecomes complicated while operating in complete meshed environment.

In order to reduce the timing, it is possible to add the opticalchannels or wavelengths in parallel over multiple sections 100-1, 100-2,100-3, 100-4 using a damped power controller for control of the WSSs 106where a power target is provided to the controller instead of a fixedtarget loss or attenuation. The target attenuation based losscontrollers are not feasible in this case as a steady attenuation cannotbe set as target unless the controllers are acting in sequence. It ispossible to develop a PID (proportional-integral-derivative) powercontroller for the WSS 106 with a damped unit step response in order tomake sure that no overshoot appears during channel add. The target powercan be set as the power required to achieve at the output of the WSS106, while the power delta between the target and the measured can beserved as the measured error amount based on which the power controllercan act. However with this power controller approach, the problem startswhen the controllers, running for each of those WSSs 106 installed incascade, run in parallel and are trying to achieve their own targetoutput power per channel with the same unit step response. If each ofthe downstream controllers applies the same unit step response at samecadence, the channels to be added are soon going to overshoot bysignificant amount due to rapid change in input powers since theupstream controllers are converging at the same time. Such overshoot maycause serious non-linear interference to the neighboring in-servicewavelengths. FIG. 3 is a graph 300 showing an example of such overshootappearance where the time variant response from each cascaded controlleris plotted to show that regardless of how damped the power controllerresponse is designed for a single WSS controller, the downstreamcontrollers will soon start to overshoot due to the contribution inpower from all upstream controllers. Another inherited problem with PIDcontrollers is the oscillations that will soon start to appear once anovershoot takes place making the state of the wavelength unstable for awhile. This is one reason why previous designs often considered PI- orsimple I-controller rather than taking the full advantage of a PIDcontroller.

In order to avoid overshoots, one approach is to damp the controllerresponse by a factor of N where N is the number of upstream controllersin cascade. However, it is hard to estimate the number of upstreamcontrollers especially when multiple channels will be added traversingfrom multiple ingress points and from different distances into a meshnetwork, and each per channel controller will then have to apply theirown proportional factor to damp their response accordingly. Thissolution also require extra messaging for each channel to notify eachcontroller about the number of upstream controllers each has for eachchannel. As described herein, the plant related drifts and aging effects(e.g. MEMs based WSS pixel drifts, and pixel offsets due to aging) addsa new dimension to the problem due to which each controller fails torespond accordingly to the required attenuation and power changes. Theplant related drifts could move in positive or in negative directionthat means for a required attenuation change, the WSS could provide moreor less to the target (depending on how the pixel drifted) and suchdrift phenomenon could vary for different input switch ports for thesame pixel in the same WSS. Due to such uncertainty, the controlleralways needs to be run in close loop control getting constant feedbackon measured power and taking multiple iterations to ultimately achievethe required target power.

Accordingly, the systems and methods described herein propose analgorithm running on the controller 150 for controlling the response ofeach ROADM section 100 adding a new wavelength in parallel. Thealgorithm allows a controlled way of adding wavelengths in parallel overthe multiple cascaded sections 100-1, 100-2, 100-3, 100-4. As the inputpower changes due to upstream controller 150 convergence, each of thecontrollers 150 adapts its response accordingly and run independentlyalleviating the need for any extra messaging. The controller 150self-educates and adapts its response accordingly for any plant relateddrifts that mitigates any dependency on any hardware variances. Thedesigned controller 150 allows using the same coefficients and samevertical model for all channels making it a perfect fit for all of thesections 100-1, 100-2, 100-3, 100-4 running in a meshed networkenvironment. Since the wavelengths are turned up in parallel, theservice turn up time get reduced significantly and does not go uplinearly with the number cascaded sections 100-1, 100-2, 100-3, 100-4.

The network 200 shows a linearly cascaded ROADM sections 100-1, 100-2,100-3, 100-4 for illustration purposes. Those of ordinary skill in theart will recognize that optical networks can include tens or hundreds ofROADM nodes 102, 104 forming complex, mesh interconnected segments 100with various DWDM wavelengths traversing each section 100 possiblyhaving different ingress and egress locations (i.e., A-Z). The systemsand methods described herein with the power controller 150 contemplateuse in such networks. In fact, due to the topology agnostic aspects ofthe power controller 150, the systems and methods are advantageous innot requiring topology or path knowledge of a wavelength while adding itto the network.

Referring to FIG. 4, in an exemplary embodiment, a block diagramillustrates a power controller system 400 for adding a channel inparallel over multiple cascaded ROADM sections. The power controllersystem 400 includes the OPM 140 providing per channel power measurementsto the power controller 150 and the power controller 150 implementing analgorithm for determining power settings for the added channel on theWSS 106. Again, since the power controllers 150 do not coordinate withone another such as through messaging, the determined power settings arebased on the per channel power measurements at each node. Again, asdescribed herein, the WSS 106 is one exemplary ROADM device contemplatedfor use with the power controller 150. Other hardware implementationsare also contemplated including any optical devices for ROADMimplementation that allow for variable per channel power settings by thepower controller 150.

The ROADM nodes have degrees. Each degree represents an ingress and/oregress point for the ROADM node 102, 104. As described herein, thedegree can be formed in part by the WSS 106 and/or the demultiplexer108. Of course other configurations and hardware is contemplated. Thesystems and methods described herein with respect to the powercontroller 150 and the power controller system 400 provide an optimizedway to quickly determine a target power of a channel (i.e., wavelength)being added to a network. Generally, the systems and methods determineattenuation settings for the channel egressing a ROADM degree at thenode where the power controller system 400 is located. This can includesetting pixel values of the WSS 106. Of course, the WSS 106 can begenerally described as a ROADM degree in which the wavelength beingadded can be selectively attenuated by the power controller 150 and thepower controller system 400 based on the methods described herein. Thepower controller 150 is a processing device configured to implement thealgorithm which generally includes a PID loop 402, a mechanism forhanding variable input power 404, and a mechanism for adapting to plantdrift and aging effects 406.

In an exemplary embodiment, a response of the power controller 1500 ineach WSS iteration cycle is determined by the following equation:

$d_{t}^{s} = {{( {1 - k_{s}} )d_{t}^{m}} - ( {{k_{p}*e_{t}^{m}} + {k_{I}*{\sum\limits_{t}( {e_{t}^{m}*\Delta \; t} )}} + {k_{d}*\frac{\Delta}{\Delta \; t}( e_{t}^{m} )} + {k_{e}*( {{{\Delta \; e_{t}^{x}}} - {{\Delta \; e_{{t - 1},t}^{m}}}} )}} ) + {k_{s}*d_{t - 1}^{s}}}$

Where:

-   -   d_(t) ^(s) refers to the pixel drive value set in controller        iteration cycle t    -   d_(t) ^(m) refers to the measured drive or attenuation in WSS        iteration cycle t that is estimated as input minus output minus        the insertion loss at WSS mux port    -   e_(t) ^(m) refers to the measured error in cycle t that is the        delta between target power and measured power at WSS mux output    -   Δe_(t) ^(x) defines the expected error change in iteration cycle        t that is also same as the PID response applied in previous        iteration cycle (t−1)    -   Δe_(t-1,t) ^(m) refers to the measured error change between        previous and current iteration cycle    -   d_(t-1) ^(s) stands for the pixel drive value set in previous        WSS iteration cycle (t−1), and    -   k_(p), k_(l), k_(d) refer to PID control coefficients    -   k_(s), and k_(e) are the coefficients used for considering WSS        pixel drift and input power variation into account

The foregoing equation allows adding wavelengths in parallel overmultiple cascaded segments using the PID loop 402, the mechanism forhanding variable input power 404, and the mechanism for adapting toplant drift and aging effects 406.

For the PID loop 402, the power controller 150 internally uses a threestate PID control loop with damped response where the PID response isproportionate to an error term between the measured power from the OPM140 and a set target power to achieve. At start of the iteration, thepower controller 150 retrieves a Target Power at the WSS 106 output, ascaled value from amplifier target peak power, i.e. the target launchpower for that wavelength to fiber, and also the Measured Power at theWSS 106 output that is a scaled power value measured from the OPM 140.The PID proportionate is estimated as described below (starting fromiteration denoted as “iter” from 0) where it includes a proportional,integral and derivative term of the existing error, or power delta toreach.

In order to avoid any oscillations on the power controller 150 responsewhich is an inherited problem of PID controllers, the derivativecoefficient is set to zero if an overshoot is detected in the previousiteration. Hence if any time an overshoot takes place, the powercontroller 150 converges to a damped PI controller in order to avoidoscillations on the power controller response. The PID loop 402 caninclude the following computations to determine the P, I, and D valuesfor each iteration, iter:

MeasuredErr[iter]=WSSMuxOutTargetPower−WssMuxOutMeasPwr[iter]

P[iter]=Kp*MeasuredErr[iter];

I[iter]=Ki*EMeasuredErr[iter]*dT

I[iter]=Ki*{MeasuredErr[iter]+MeasuredErr[iter−1]+ . . .+MeasuredErr[0]}*dT

I[iter]=Ki*MeasuredErr[iter]*dT+Ki*{MeasuredErr[iter−1]+ . . .+MeasuredErr[0]}*dT

I[iter]=Ki*MeasuredErr[iter]*dT+I[iter−1];

D[iter]=Kd*(1/dT)*(MeasuredErr[iter]−MeasuredErr[iter−1]);

if(iter>0)&&(MeasuredErr[iter−1]<0), D[iter]=0.0;

Tmp_Err[iter]=P[iter]+I[iter]+D[iter];

Specifically, the measured error, MeasuredErr [iter], is computed as thedifference between target output power and measured output power. Theproportional value, P[iter], equals a proportional coefficient, Kp,times the measured error. The integral value, I[iter], equals anintegral coefficient, Ki, times the integral of all previously measurederrors. The integral value works out to equal the integral coefficienttimes the measured error, MeasuredErr [iter], times dT plus the previousintegral value, I[iter−1]. The value dT can be a time amount related tothe iteration, iter. The derivative value, D[iter], equals a derivativecoefficient, Kd, times 1/dT times the difference between the measurederror, MeasuredErr [iter], and the previously measured error,MeasuredErr [iter−1]. Furthermore, the derivative value, D[iter], is setto zero if the iteration is greater than zero (i.e., not the firstiteration) and the previously measured error, MeasuredErr [iter−1], isless than zero. The temporary error correction value, Tmp_Err[iter]equals the proportional value, P[iter], plus the integral value,I[iter], plus the derivative value, D[iter]. In terms of notations, thistemporary error correction value is:

$\begin{matrix}{{tmp}_{t} = {{P_{t} + I_{t} + D_{t}} = {{k_{p}*e_{t}^{m}} + {k_{I}*{\sum_{t}( {e_{t}^{m}*\Delta \; t} )}} + {k_{d}*\frac{\Delta}{\Delta \; t}( e_{t}^{m} )}}}} & (1)\end{matrix}$

Based on absolute magnitude of errors, the three states for the powercontroller 150 is defined where the coefficients Kp, Ki, and Kd arechosen in a such a way that the power controller 150 response remainsalways damped until complete convergence. To start up the powercontroller 150 from dark to add a wavelength, all three coefficientsexist chosen for a damped unit step response. Once the error becomeslower (<3 dB), a damping factor is applied in all downstream powercontrollers 150 with the controller response to make them further dampedin order to avoid unwanted overshoots while all the upstream powercontrollers 150 are converging at the same time. If the absolute valueof error becomes less than 0.5 dB, the coefficients Kp and Kd are set to0 (zero) and Ki to a small value effectively transferring the PID loopto a slow integral controller to proceed to final convergence (abs(e_(t)^(m))_(→0 dB)) avoiding any other system measurement errors. Hence therepose of the PID controller as described in equation (1) above getsupdated as below:

State 1: If abs(MeasuredError[iter])>3 dB, damping_factor=1.0;

State 2: If abs(MeasuredError[iter])≦3 dB, damping_factor=0.5;

State 3: If abs(MeasuredError[iter])≦0.5 dB, Kp=0.0; Kd=0.0;damping_factor=2.5;

Tmp_Error[iter]=P[iter]+I[iter]+D[iter]; // from equation (1)

Tmp_Error[iter]=Tmp_Error[iter]*damping factor;  (2)

Note that the above changes are not applied to an ingress powercontroller's 150 PID response in order to achieve fastest possibleconvergence. For example, the ingress power controller 150, in theexemplary embodiment of FIG. 2 is the power controller 150 in thesection 100-1. To maintain the damped response and to avoid anyunnecessary oscillations, a forward sequence among the three states ofthe controller is always maintained.

With respect to the mechanism for handing variable input power 404, inorder to run all the cascaded power controllers 150 with the same unitstep response (i.e. same PID coefficients for all of the powercontrollers 150) and to initiate a parallel add over multiple cascadedROADMs at the same time, the first challenge comes along is thevariation in input power for the downstream power controllers 150 whilethe upstream power controllers 150 are still converging. If thedownstream power controllers 150 start ramping up at the same time, theywill soon start to overshoot due to the contribution in power from allupstream power controllers 150 even if the unit step response is madevery much damped in the PID loop 402. To cope with dynamic input powerchange, an “Expected-Error-Change-Offset” is adapted with each PIDresponse that helps to dampen the response further for downstream powercontrollers 150 as follows:

Expected_Error_Change[iter]=Tmp_Error[iter−1];

Meas_Error_Change[iter]=MeasuredError[iter−1]−MeasuredError[iter];

Error_Offset[iter]=abs(Expected_Error_Change[iter])−abs(Meas_Error_Change[iter]);

Error_Offset[iter]=Error_Coefficient_Ke*Error_Offset[iter]

In terms of notations,

e _(t) ^(offset) =k _(e)*(|Δe _(t) ^(x) |−|Δe _(t-1,t) ^(m))  (3)

The estimated Error_Offset is then adjusted to derive the newattenuation settings for the WSS 106 pixels for the channels to add. Theattenuation parameter on the WSS is often referred as “Drive”.

Drive_Offset[iter]=Tmp_Error[iter]+Error_Offset[iter];

Meas_Drive[iter]=WSSMuxInput[iter]−WssMuxOutMeasPwr[iter]−WSSMuxCCT_Loss;

Set_Drive[iter]2=Meas_Drive[iter]−Drive_Offset[iter];

In terms of notations and combining with equations (1) and (3),

$\begin{matrix}\begin{matrix}{d_{t}^{s\; 5} = {d_{t}^{m} - ( {{tmp}_{t} + e_{t}^{offset}} )}} \\{= {d_{t}^{m} - ( {{k_{p}*e_{t}^{m}} + {k_{I}*{\sum_{t}( {e_{t}^{m}*\Delta \; t} )}} + {k_{d}*\frac{\Delta}{\Delta \; t}( e_{t}^{m} )} + {k_{e}*}} }} \\ ( {{{\Delta \; e_{t}^{x}}} - {{\Delta \; e_{{t - 1},t}^{m}}}} ) )\end{matrix} & (4)\end{matrix}$

The damping factor term as described in equation (2) is inherited withincontroller coefficients Kp, Ki, and Kd and is not shown in derivation.In summary, the controller defines the actuator change applied in theprevious interation as the “expected error change” for the currentiteration, and compares that with the measured output response delta(from its own feedback loop) between the present and the previousiterations. If the measured output response delta is more or less thanthe expected change, the controller realizes that the input can possiblybe varied by other controllers in upstream, and hence, adapts itsresponse accordingly. This is the key part of the algorithm that helpsthe controller to stabilize its response even if the upstreamcontrollers are trying to control the same signal at the same time,which in turn helps the controller maintain the stability withoutknowing the overall system topology or channel traversing paths.

With respect to the mechanism for adapting to plant drift and agingeffects 406, the power controller 150 adds another fraction of error ontop of its provisioned or applied drive settings regardless of the inputpower it receives. For example, if a WSS pixel for a specific switchport is drifted or calibrated for 10% drift which means if a 10 dBtarget attenuation change is applied for that pixel, it may move by 9 dBor 11 dB from its current settings based on which way it is drifted. Ifthe pixel is moved from one input switch position to another, theassociated drift may alter as well. The problem becomes more significantif cascaded power controllers 150 start swinging in different driftdirections (e.g. one goes in positive and the downstream goes innegative drift on top of their input power variation). To partially copewith the drift, a drive offset parameter is adapted with each PIDresponse as below:

Prev_Set_Drive=Set_Drive[iter−1];

Current_Meas_Drive=Meas_Drive[iter];

Drive_Drift_Offset=Prev_Set_Drive−Current_Meas_Drive;

Applied_Drive_Drift_Offset=Drift_Coefficient_Ks*Drive_Drift_Offset;

if(MeasuredError[iter−1]<0)Applied_Drive_Drift_Offset=0.0;

Set_Drive[iter]=Set_Drive[iter]2+Applied_Drive_Drift_Offset;

In terms of notations,

$\begin{matrix}\begin{matrix}{d_{t}^{s} = {d_{t}^{s} + {k_{s}*{drift}_{t}^{offset}}}} \\{= {d_{t}^{s\; 2} + {k_{s}*( {d_{t - 1}^{s} - d_{t}^{m}} )}}}\end{matrix} & (5)\end{matrix}$

Combining equation (5) with equation (4), the overall drive response canbe written as:

$\begin{matrix}{d_{t}^{s} = {d_{t}^{m} - ( {{k_{p}*e_{t}^{m}} + {k_{I}*{\sum\limits_{t}( {e_{t}^{m}*\Delta \; t} )}} + {k_{d}*\frac{\Delta}{\Delta \; t}( e_{t}^{m} )} + {k_{e}*}} }} \\{ ( {{{\Delta \; e_{t}^{x}}} - {{\Delta \; e_{{t - 1},t}^{m}}}} ) ) + {k_{s}*( {d_{t - 1}^{s} - d_{t}^{m}} )}} \\{= {{( {1 - k_{s}} )d_{t}^{m}} - ( {{k_{p}*e_{t}^{m}} + {k_{I}*{\sum\limits_{t}( {e_{t}^{m}*\Delta \; t} )}} + {k_{d}*\frac{\Delta}{\Delta \; t}( e_{t}^{m} )} +} }} \\{ {k_{e}*( {{{\Delta \; e_{t}^{x}}} - {{\Delta \; e_{{t - 1},t}^{m}}}} )} ) + {k_{s}*d_{t - 1}^{s}}}\end{matrix}$

Referring to FIG. 5, in an exemplary embodiment, a graph 500 illustratestime variant response of cascaded power controllers 150 while adding achannel in parallel using the proposed algorithm of the system 400. Thegraph 500 depicts the desired response in terms of per channel opticalpower while bringing up a wavelength in-service over multiple cascadedROADMs (WSS) in parallel. Specifically, referring to the network 200,line 502 relates to the response in the section 100-1, line 504 relatesto the response in the section 100-2, line 506 relates to the responsein the section 100-3, and line 508 relates to the response in thesection 100-4. As can be seen by the downstream power controllers 150,i.e. in the sections 100-3, 1004, dynamic input power changes are dealtwith using the mechanism for handing variable input power 404 and driftand aging are dealt with using the mechanism for adapting to plant driftand aging effects 406. A comparison of FIG. 5 with the conventionalsystems and methods shown in FIG. 3 shows quicker convergence and noovershooting.

Referring to FIGS. 6A-6E, in an exemplary embodiment, a flowchartillustrates a power controller method 600 of a complete WSS iterationcycle running on the power controller 150. In an exemplary embodiment,the power controller method 600 can be implemented in the powercontroller system 400 and the like. The power controller method 600begins responsive to a request to add a new channel, i.e. wavelength, atthe ROADM node in which the power controller method 600 is operating. InFIG. 6A, the power controller method 600 sets a target power for thechannel being add (step 602). The target power can be based on variousconsiderations such as amplifier gain, number of channels, channel type,etc. The target power represents the goal for the power controllermethod 600 to set the channel at in the ROADM node. The power controllermethod 600 opens an associated WSS pixel as part of a provisioningprocess (step 604). As described herein, the power controller method 600operates at the ROADM node independently and in parallel with otherROADM nodes also operating the power controller method 600. If the WSSpixel is opaque (step 606), there is nothing for the power controllermethod 600 to do (step 608). If the WSS pixel is not active (step 610),the power controller method 600 can set the pixel drive to max (step612).

If the WSS pixel is active and not opaque (steps 610, 606), then thepower controller method 600 can start a control loop with initialvariables and PID coefficients (step 614). For example, the initialvariables can include, without limitation, WSS_Initial_Drive which is anattenuation parameter on the WSS;AddThreshold=WSS_Initial_Drive+Hysteresis;Threshold_From_PID_2_Slow_I_Loop; slow loop dead zone; fast loop deadzone; etc. For example, the PID coefficients can include, withoutlimitation, Kp=0.55; Ki=0.01; Kd=−0.52; a PID coefficients for theSlow−I Loop of Slow_Ki=0.1/4; dT=4 s for an WSS Scan Rate or Iterationcycle of 4 s; Error_Coefficient_Ke=0.3; Drift_Coefficient_Ks=0.7;DampingFactor; WSS_Min_Drive; WSS_Max_Drive; etc. The power controllermethod 600 sets the drive at the WSS pixel at the WSS_Initial_Drivevalue, sets Iter=0, and PIDIterCount=0 (step 616). The power controllermethod 600 waits dT time, i.e. 4 s. The power controller method 600retrieves WSS mux out target power and WSS mux out measured power[Iter](step 618). The power controller method 600 computes MeasuredErr[Iter]as the difference between the WSS mux out target power and the WSS muxout measured power[Iter] (step 620).

The power controller method 600 checks in the computed MeasuredErr[Iter]is less than an AddThreshold value (step 622), and if so, the powercontroller method 600 can halt (step 624) and optionally return to thestep 620 every dT time. If the computed MeasuredErr[Iter] is greaterthan or equal to the AddThreshold value (step 622), the power controllermethod 600 goes to step 628 in FIG. 6B (step 626). From step 628, thepower controller method 600 checks if the MeasuredErr[Iter] is greaterthan a Threshold_From_PID_2_Slow_I_Loop value (step 630). The step 630determines what type of PID loop is performed. If the MeasuredErr[Iter]is less than or equal to the Threshold_From_PID_2_Slow_I_Loop value(step 630), the power controller method 600 performs a slow−I iteration(step 632). The step 632 includes computingTmp_Error[Iter]=Wss_Slow_Ki*MeasuredErr[Iter]*dT, setting theDrive_Offset[Iter]=Tmp_Error[Iter], setting theMeas_Drive[Iter]=WssMuxInput[Iter]−WssMuxOutMeasPwr[Iter]−WssMuxCCT_Loss,and setting Set_Drive[Iter]=Meas_Drive[Iter]−Drive_Offset[Iter]. Thepower controller method 600 goes to step 636 in FIG. 6E (step 634).

If the MeasuredErr[Iter] is greater than theThreshold_From_PID_2_Slow_I_Loop value (step 630), the power controllermethod 600 performs a standard PID loop (step 638). The power controllermethod 600 checks if the MeasuredErr[Iter] is greater than a fast loopdead zone value (step 640). If so, the power controller method 600 setsMeasuredErr[Iter] as the previously determined value (step 642),otherwise the MeasuredErr[Iter] is set to 0 (step 644). From this, thepower controller method 600 has a value for MeasuredErr[Iter] (step 646)and proceeds to step 650 in FIG. 6C (step 648). From the step 650, theMeasuredErr[Iter] is provided to three separate computations thatcompute the P, I, and D terms. First, P[Iter]=Kp*MeasuredErr[Iter] (step652) providing a value for P[Iter] (step 654). The power controllermethod 600 checks if the Iter value and PIDIterCount are greater than 0(step 656). If so, I[Iter]=Ki*MeasuredErr[Iter]*dT+I[Iter−1] (step 658),otherwise I[Iter]=Ki*MeasuredErr[Iter]*dT (step 660) and the powercontroller method 600 has a value for I[Iter] (step 662).

The power controller method 600 checks if the Iter value is greater than0 and the MeasuredErr[Iter−1] is less than 0 (step 664). If so, Kd isset to 0 (step 666), otherwise Kd=Kd (step 668). The power controllermethod 600 checks if the Iter value and PIDIterCount are greater than 0(step 670). If so,D[Iter]=Kd*1/dT*(MeasuredErr[Iter]−MeasuredErr[Iter−1]) (step 672),otherwise D[Iter]=0 (step 674) and the power controller method 600 has avalue for D[Iter] (step 676). The power controller method 600 setsTmp_Error[Iter]=P[Iter]+I[Iter]+D[Iter] (step 678). The power controllermethod 600 checks if the MeasuredErr[Iter] is less than 3 (i.e., acertain determined threshold value) and that the routing of the channelis express (i.e., the channel is not added or dropped at this ROADM nodeperforming the power controller method 600) (step 680). If so, the powercontroller method 600 sets a damping factor=0.5 (step 682), otherwisethe damping factor=1 (step 684). The Tmp_Error[Iter]=Tmp_Error[Iter]*thedamping factor (step 686). The power controller method 600 goes to step690 in FIG. 6D (step 688).

The power controller method 600 checks if the Iter value andPIDIterCount are greater than 0 (step 692). If so, an error_offset[Iter]is determined (step 694), otherwise the error_offset[Iter]=0 (step 696).The error_offset[Iter] in the step 694 is determined by setting anExpected_Error_Change[Iter]=Tmp_Error[Iter−1];Meas_Err_Change[Iter]=Measurederr [Iter−1]−Measurederr [Iter];Error_Offset[Iter]=Abs(Expected_Error_Change[Iter])−Abs(Meas_Err_Change[Iter]);Error_Offset[Iter]=Error_Coefficient_Ke*Error_Offset[Iter]// WhereKe=0.3; and If (Error_Offset[Iter]>1) Error_Offset[Iter]=1; If(Error_Offset[Iter]<−1) Error_Offset[Iter]=−1; If (Measurederr[Iter−1]<0) Error_Offset[Iter]=0.0. The power controller method 600 setsDrive_Offset[Iter]=Tmp_Error[Iter]+Error_Offset[Iter];Meas_Drive[Iter]=Wssmuxinput[Iter]−Wssmuxoutmeaspwr[Iter]−Wssmuxcct_Loss;and Set_Drive[Iter]=Meas_Drive[Iter]−Drive_Offset[Iter] (step 698). Thepower controller method 600 goes to step 702 in FIG. 6E (step 700).

The power controller method 600 checks if the Iter value andPIDIterCount are greater than 0 (step 704). If so, the power controllermethod 600 computes an offset to the determined Set_Drive[Iter] (step706), otherwise the Set_Drive[Iter]=Set_Drive[Iter] (step 708). The step706 includes Prev_Set_Drive=Set_Drive[Iter−1];Current_Meas_Drive=Meas_Drive[Iter];Drive_Drift_Offset=Prev_Set_Drive−Current_Meas_Drive;Applied_Drive_Drift_Offset=Drift_Coefficient_Ks*Drive_Drift_Offset; If(Measurederror[Iter−1]<0) Applied_Drive_Drift_Offset=0.0; andSet_Drive[Iter]=Set_Drive[Iter]+Applied_Drive_Drift_Offset. The powercontroller method 600 computes a Set_Drive[Iter] from theSet_Drive[Iter] (step 710). The Set_Drive[Iter] is a value beingprovided to the WSS for setting the drive value and it has to be betweena value of 0 and a Wss_Max_Drive value. The step 710 includes if(Set_Drive[Iter]<Wss_Min_Drive) Set_Drive[Iter]=Wss_Min_Drive; if(Set_Drive[Iter]>Wss_Max_Drive) Set_Drive[Iter]=Wss_Max_Drive; andsetting PIDitercount=PIDitercount+1.

The power controller method 600 sends the new drive (attenuationsettings to the WSS) (step 712). The power controller method 600 checksif the Iter value is greater than 2 and the PIDitercount is greater than0 (step 714). If so, the power controller method 600 will exit the PIDloop if power is too low for certain iterations to converge to target(step 716). In the step 716,sumdrive=set_drive[iter]+set_drive[iter−1]+set_drive[iter−2]; and if(sumdrive<0.2) loop[iter]=“slow−I”, and the power controller method 600goes to step 720 in FIG. 6B (step 718).

Referring to FIG. 7, in an exemplary embodiment, a block diagramillustrates an exemplary implementation of a power controller 150A. Thepower controller 150A can be a digital processing device that, in termsof hardware architecture, generally includes a processor 802,input/output (I/O) interfaces 804, a network interface 806, a data store808, and memory 810. It should be appreciated by those of ordinary skillin the art that FIG. 7 depicts the power controller 150A in anoversimplified manner, and a practical embodiment may include additionalcomponents and suitably configured processing logic to support known orconventional operating features that are not described in detail herein.The components (802, 804, 806, 808, and 810) are communicatively coupledvia a local interface 812. The local interface 812 can be, for examplebut not limited to, one or more buses or other wired or wirelessconnections, as is known in the art. The local interface 812 can haveadditional elements, which are omitted for simplicity, such ascontrollers, buffers (caches), drivers, repeaters, and receivers, amongmany others, to enable communications. Further, the local interface 812can include address, control, and/or data connections to enableappropriate communications among the aforementioned components.

The processor 802 is a hardware device for executing softwareinstructions. The processor 802 can be any custom made or commerciallyavailable processor, a central processing unit (CPU), an auxiliaryprocessor among several processors associated with the power controller150A, a semiconductor-based microprocessor (in the form of a microchipor chip set), or generally any device for executing softwareinstructions. When the power controller 150A is in operation, theprocessor 802 is configured to execute software stored within the memory810, to communicate data to and from the memory 810, and to generallycontrol operations of the power controller 150A pursuant to the softwareinstructions. The I/O interfaces 804 can be used to receive user inputfrom and/or for providing system output to one or more devices orcomponents. The network interface 806 can be used to enable the powercontroller 150A to communicate on a network. For example, the I/Ointerfaces 804 and/or the network interface 806 can communicativelycouple the power controller 150A to the WSS 106 and/or the OPM 140.

The data store 808 can be used to store data. The data store 808 caninclude any of volatile memory elements (e.g., random access memory(RAM, such as DRAM, SRAM, SDRAM, and the like)), nonvolatile memoryelements (e.g., ROM, hard drive, tape, CDROM, and the like), andcombinations thereof. Moreover, the data store 808 can incorporateelectronic, magnetic, optical, and/or other types of storage media. Thememory 810 can include any of volatile memory elements (e.g., randomaccess memory (RAM, such as DRAM, SRAM, SDRAM, etc.)), nonvolatilememory elements (e.g., ROM, hard drive, tape, CDROM, etc.), andcombinations thereof. Moreover, the memory 810 can incorporateelectronic, magnetic, optical, and/or other types of storage media. Notethat the memory 810 can have a distributed architecture, where variouscomponents are situated remotely from one another, but can be accessedby the processor 802. The software in memory 810 can include one or moresoftware programs, each of which includes an ordered listing ofexecutable instructions for implementing logical functions. The softwarein the memory 810 includes a suitable operating system (O/S) 814 and oneor more programs 816. The operating system 814 essentially controls theexecution of other computer programs, such as the one or more programs316, and provides scheduling, input-output control, file and datamanagement, memory management, and communication control and relatedservices. The one or more programs 816 may be configured to implementthe various processes, algorithms, methods, techniques, etc. describedherein.

Additionally, it will be appreciated that some exemplary embodimentsdescribed herein, such as the power controller 150, 150A, may includeone or more generic or specialized processors (“one or more processors”)such as microprocessors, digital signal processors, customizedprocessors, and field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) and unique storedprogram instructions (including both software and firmware) that controlthe one or more processors to implement, in conjunction with certainnon-processor circuits, some, most, or all of the functions of themethods and/or systems described herein. Alternatively, some or allfunctions may be implemented by a state machine that has no storedprogram instructions, or in one or more application specific integratedcircuits (ASICs), in which each function or some combinations of certainof the functions are implemented as custom logic. Of course, acombination of the aforementioned approaches may be used. Moreover, someexemplary embodiments may be implemented as a non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium having computer readable code storedthereon for programming a computer, server, appliance, device, the powercontroller 150, 150A etc. each of which may include a processor toperform methods as described and claimed herein. Examples of suchcomputer-readable storage mediums include, but are not limited to, ahard disk, an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, a ROM(Read Only Memory), a PROM (Programmable Read Only Memory), an EPROM(Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), an EEPROM (ElectricallyErasable Programmable Read Only Memory), Flash memory, and the like.When stored in the non-transitory computer readable medium, software caninclude instructions executable by a processor that, in response to suchexecution, cause a processor or any other circuitry to perform a set ofoperations, steps, methods, processes, algorithms, etc.

Referring to FIGS. 8A-8B, in exemplary embodiments, graphs 900, 902,904, 906 illustrate channel add time using the power controller 150 andusing a sequential controller method as described herein. The graphs900, 902 show one to four ROADMs in cascade (the number in each bar inthe graphs 900, 902 being indicative of the number of ROADMs incascade). The graph 900 is for the sequential controller method, and thegraph 902 is using the power controller 150 described herein. Further,the units are the same on the graphs 900, 902. As can be seen in thegraphs 900, 902, the sequential controller method scales linearly intime based on the number of ROADMs. However, the power controller 150 ismuch faster without this linear scale limitation. The graphs 904, 906show one to eight ROADMs in cascade (the number in each bar in thegraphs 904, 906 being indicative of the number of ROADMs in cascade).The graph 904 is for the sequential controller method, and the graph 906is using the power controller 150 described herein. Further, the unitsare the same on the graphs 904, 906. The graphs 904, 906 show similarresults as the graphs 900, 902. In short, the timing improves by afactor of two with the power controller 150 for four ROADM sections, andfor eight cascaded ROADM sections the timing improves almost by a factorof four.

In various exemplary embodiments described herein, reference is made toPID and a PID controller. Those of ordinary skill in the art willrecognize that PID is one particular type of control loop and thesystems and methods described herein contemplate use with any type ofcontrol loop. The systems and methods described herein could be appliedto more general control loops including proportional-integral (PI),integral (I), and other hybrid types of linear control loops. That is,the systems and methods contemplate the various described adjustments toprevent overshooting could be applicable to any type of control loop.Additionally, reference is made herein to adding a single channel usingthe systems and methods, and those of ordinary skill in the art willrecognize the systems and methods contemplate adding multiple channelsconcurrently and independently of one another with independentparameters using the same control loop techniques described herein.

Although the present disclosure has been illustrated and describedherein with reference to preferred embodiments and specific examplesthereof, it will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in theart that other embodiments and examples may perform similar functionsand/or achieve like results. All such equivalent embodiments andexamples are within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure andare intended to be covered by the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method implemented by a power controllerassociated with a node in an optical network with one or more sections,the method comprising: responsive to adding a channel at the node,performing a power control loop at the node based on power measurementsdetermined at the node, wherein the performing is independent of anyother power control loops performed for the channel at one or moreadditional nodes; and adjusting power of the channel at the node basedon the power control loop.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the powercontrol loop is performed without coordination comprising sendingmessaging between the node and the one or more additional nodes.
 3. Themethod of claim 1, wherein at least one node of the one or moreadditional nodes performs a second power control loop on the channel atthe at least one node while the power control loop is performed andthere is no coordination between the power control loop and the secondpower control loop.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the powermeasurements are per channel power measurements determined at the node.5. The method of claim 1, wherein the power control loop operates basedsolely on the power measurements determined at the node.
 6. The methodof claim 1, wherein the power control loop is performed in parallel withassociated power control loops at the one or more additional nodes asthe channel is added to each of the node and the one or more additionalnodes.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the power control loop utilizesa proportional-integral-derivative (PID) control loop with a dampedresponse where a PID response is proportionate to an error term betweenthe power measurements and a set target power to achieve.
 8. The methodof claim 1, wherein at least one node of the one or more additionalnodes is performing a second control loop upstream on the channel fromthe node, and wherein the power control loop is configured to stabilizea response on the channel based on an expected error change whichmaintains stability in the power control loop, without knowing anoverall topology, channels in the network, and coordination with the atleast one node.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the power control loopruns in a close loop receiving constant feedback for the powermeasurements and performing multiple iterations to ultimately achievethe required target power.
 10. A power controller associated with a nodein an optical network with one or more sections, the power controllercomprising: circuitry adapted to, responsive to adding a channel at thenode, perform a power control loop at the node based on powermeasurements determined at the node, wherein the power control loop isperformed independent of any other power control loops performed for thechannel at one or more additional nodes; and circuitry adapted to causeadjustment of power of the channel at the node based on the powercontrol loop.
 11. The power controller of claim 10, wherein the powercontrol loop is performed without coordination through messaging betweenthe node and the one or more additional nodes.
 12. The power controllerof claim 10, wherein at least one node of the one or more additionalnodes performs a second power control loop on the channel at the atleast one node while the power control loop is performed and there is nocoordination between the power control loop and the second power controlloop.
 13. The power controller of claim 10, wherein the powermeasurements are per channel power measurements determined at the node.14. The power controller of claim 10, wherein the power control loopoperates based solely on the power measurements determined at the node.15. The power controller of claim 10, wherein the power control loop isperformed in parallel with associated power control loops at the one ormore additional nodes as the channel is added to each of the node andthe one or more additional nodes.
 16. The power controller of claim 10,wherein the power control loop utilizes a three stateproportional-integral-derivative (PID) control loop with a dampedresponse where a PID response is proportionate to an error term betweenthe power measurements and a set target power to achieve.
 17. The powercontroller of claim 10, wherein at least one node of the one or moreadditional nodes is performing a second control loop upstream on thechannel from the node, and wherein the power control loop is configuredto stabilize a response on the channel based on an expected error changewhich maintains stability in the power control loop, without knowing anoverall topology, channels in the network, and coordination with the atleast one node.
 18. The power controller of claim 10, wherein the powercontrol loop runs in a close loop receiving constant feedback for thepower measurements and performing multiple iterations to ultimatelyachieve the required target power.
 19. An optical node, comprising: oneor more degrees comprising components configured to selectively alterpower of a channel being added to the one or more degrees; an opticalpower monitor adapted to measure an output power of the channel; and apower controller communicatively coupled to the at least one degree andthe optical power monitor, wherein the power controller is configured toresponsive to adding a channel at the node, perform a power control loopat the node based on power measurements determined by the optical powermonitor, wherein the power control loop is performed independent of anyother power control loops performed for the channel at one or moreadditional nodes, and cause adjustment of power of the channel by thecomponents based on the power control loop.
 20. The optical node ofclaim 19, wherein the power control loop is performed withoutcoordination through messaging between the optical node and the one ormore additional nodes.